


papa

by tia37



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Character's Name Spelled as Viktor, Gen, M/M, Viktor is Yuri's dad
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-06
Updated: 2019-12-05
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:40:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21686950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tia37/pseuds/tia37
Summary: Yuri is three when his mother leaves him at his grandfather’s house and never returns. He is six when she announces her retirement on national television and reveals the identity of her son’s father as Viktor Nikiforov.(yet another single dad!AU)
Relationships: Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov, Otabek Altin/Yuri Plisetsky
Comments: 3
Kudos: 45





	papa

**Author's Note:**

> i got tired of copying and pasting this draft whenever the month runs out so i'm gonna post this in four parts: before, training, debut, gpf and after

Yuri is three when his mother brings him to his grandfather’s place for the first time. Mama packs all of his clothes and toys in a luggage and hauls them on the train from St. Petersburg to Moscow. Usually, when Mama has a show she needs to attend that is outside St. Petersburg, she only packs a duffel bag for both of them and he only gets to pick one toy for the entire trip. 

In hindsight, that should have been the first sign.

But he is only three, too young to comprehend the implications of her actions, so he trusts blindly and follows. He falls in love with his grandfather’s pirozhki at first bite and the city of Moscow soon after. Mama tells him Yuri that she is glad that they get along, because she and Yuri’s grandfather did not.

Yuri assures her, “You’re the one I get along with most, Mama.” She smiles back and tells him it’s time for bed.

The next day, she leaves a note and disappears. Yuri's not old enough to read the note for himself, so he begs his grandfather to read it for him. His grandfather, old and weary and so very _tired,_ caves after Yuri's consistent pestering.

(When he's older, he will think back on this day, and he will wish he never had to subject Dedushka to this. But he is only three, so without comprehending the full weight of the note's contents, he nods and goes back to his toys.)

* * *

From then on, Yuri spends his days with his grandfather. If they are not on the farm or at home making pirozhki, they explore the streets of Moscow. Sometimes, Dedushka makes him sit down and study the Cyrillic alphabet or some basic maths, which Yuri will whine about until Dedushka decides he has learnt enough for the day. Honestly, Yuri does not mind as long as he is with Dedushka.

One day, Dedushka brings him to the local ice skating rink. Dedushka is old and cannot stay on the ice for long, but Yuri takes to it well. Once he gets the basics down, he glides across the ice effortlessly, making laps around the rink. He still can’t do jumps like some of the older children, but all he has to do is convince Dedushka to come back soon. 

It doesn’t take much convincing. Dedushka loves him, and if ice skating makes Yuri happy, Dedushka will gladly provide as much as he can. He brings Yuri to the ice rink at least once a week, sometimes twice if he can afford time away from the farm. Yuri sulks when Dedushka does not let him walk to the rink himself, but secretly he is happy that Dedushka is there to watch him skate. 

Dedushka starts Yuri’s formal skating lessons on his fifth birthday, causing Yuri to shriek and jump with joy. Yuri gives Dedushka the biggest hug and vows to himself to be the best figure skater ever and win lots of medals to pay back Dedushka’s kindness.

From then on, he goes to the rink twice a week. Once a week, his coach will teach him basic turns and step sequences, and he will practice whatever he learnt on his own the next time he goes to the rink. Slowly, he improves, and his coach even talks to Dedushka about the possibility of sending Yuri to St. Petersburg to train to be a professional figure skater when he is older. 

After Yuri's coach talks about the possibility, Yuri goes to the nearest library (with Dedushka, of course) and searches the internet for figure skating videos. There are so many, but Yuri decides to look through Russia's ice skaters. Russia's the greatest country, so she must have the best ice skaters. 

And, to no one's surprise, Russia does produce some of the most talented ice skaters in the world. Almost all competitive ice skating events are dominated by Russians. He clicks on the video of the latest champion, some silver haired guy with long hair, and pauses when he actually watches the video. Whoever this is, he's good. Too good.

Maybe it's the fact that the quality of Nikiforov's video is leagues better than the people that were filmed before him, but there's something about the way Nikiforov moves that draws your attention and sucks you in, immersing you in his performance until it finally ends. Yuri sits there, entranced, before the screen slowly fades to black from inactivity.

Yuri thinks, and thinks, and thinks.

He wants to accept the offer. Russia's current top male figure skater, Viktor Nikiforov, may have had to delay his senior debut due to injury, but he made it to the Grand Prix Finals when he debuted and won gold, then proceeded to take first place in the 2006 Turin Winter Olympics. If Viktor can do it after recovering from injury, Yuri can do it too. Yuri will even skate and win without injuring himself.

"You won't make your senior debut _and_ the Olympics in the same year, Yura," Dedushka warns. "Russia always pushes for a senior debut at fifteen, and the year you turn fifteen is not the year the Olympics is held."

"It doesn't matter," Yuri replies, decision already made in his mind. He'll top the junior division, then crush his competition in his senior debut, _then_ he'll win the Olympics. He'll win all the medals, he'll even break Viktor Nikiforov's standing world record, and Dedushka will be proud of him.

(Maybe, if Yuri wins lots of medals, Mama will come back. Maybe she'll even bring a Papa with her.)

(In the end, he never had to worry about her coming back. When Yuri is six, his mother appears on national television announcing her retirement from her idol career due to health reasons. She also states that she leaves her son in the care of his father, one Viktor Nikiforov.)

* * *

At first, Yuri does not understand what is happening. He only knows that he has a father named Viktor Nikiforov (is a father who has never shown his face around still a father?) and that everyone wants to take photos of him and Dedushka. Someone even ask him to spit in a tube, which he did only when Dedushka told him to. He's kind of curious what they need to do with a tube of his spit, though.

Things are finally beginning to die down when a silver-haired man appears on their doorstep, bringing herds of reporters with him. The jerk even waves to the reporters and smiles brightly at them before turning his attention to Yuri and Dedushka. Annoyingly, Dedushka invites that man into their house and even serves him tea.

"Thank you for your help, Mr. Nikiforov," Dedushka says as he sets down a plate of pirozhki.

The man waves a hand dismissively. "If I had known I had a son, I would've helped earlier." Everything clicks then. Yuri may be young, but he's not stupid. He puts two and two together easily. This is Viktor Nikiforov, Yuri's absent father. He clenches his tiny fists under the table, not that either men notice; they're too absorbed in their conversation to take note of Yuri.

"Irina did not tell you?"

"After that night, she disappeared. I called but her phone was disconnected. The only time I saw her was on television."

"I see." Dedushka nods, hunching his shoulders a little.

"You're not my Papa," Yuri blurts out. Both men turn to look at him. He cowers back under the weight of their gaze, but only a little. He's strong. He can handle being stared down.

Viktor sighs and leans his elbows on the table. "I know I haven't been present--"

"I know you're my father. But I'll never acknowledge you as my Papa," Yuri interrupts. Because it's true. The only person he needs is Dedushka, and the only thing he needs is the ability to continue skating. He hasn't had a Papa or Mama since forever, now he's six and a big boy and he can do a lot of things himself. For Viktor to come into his life and just barge in and demand to be his Papa is rude.

"Fine," Viktor sighs again, leaning back into his chair this time.

"Didn't you go to the library just to find videos of Viktor skating, Yuratchka?" Dedushka teases.

"Dedushka!" Yuri's ears heat up. That was before he knew the asshole was his father, so it doesn't count. Viktor might be a good skater, but that doesn't mean he can be Yuri's Papa.

Viktor cooes, launching himself forward to beam brightly in his face. "Aww, that's so cute! Yura, do you want to be a figure skater like me?"

Yuri slams his fists on the table and pushes himself up, "Just watch, old man! I'll be the best figure skater and I'll beat all your records!"

It takes a long time for Viktor to react. He regards Yuri coolly for a good few seconds, before a sincere smile spreads across his face. "If you're serious," Viktor says, pulling out a small rectangular card from his back pocket and handing it to Yuri, "my coach, Yakov, will take you on."

Yuri takes the card and looks at it. It takes a while for him to read the name on the card ("Yakov Feltsman," Russian Skating Federation coach) but he gets it in the end so it doesn't matter. "Why can't you train me yourself?" Because even though Viktor was not there for him, he was undoubtedly the best Russian figure skater currently competing in Men's Singles. 

"I'm still competing, Yura. Usually, you need to retire before you coach," Viktor explains. Yuri nods, feeling a little dumb. Everyone knew that coaches were all retired skaters because no one wanted to coach their competitors. "By the time you enter Juniors, I'd likely still be competing. Hmm, I'm not sure if I'll still be competing when you make your Senior debut, so I guess I can choreograph something for you then."

A choreography from Viktor Nikiforov, figure skating Olympic champion and Russian legend. It's as good a reason to take the offer than anything. Yuri flips the card over; a number with the area code from St. Petersburg is printed there. "Would I have to leave Dedushka?"

The two adults look at each other, then at Yuri. "You're too young to start competing in Juniors, so you'll only be training for a week in St. Petersburg in February. If Yakov thinks you have potential, you'll return during your summer break and transfer to a school in St. Petersburg next year," Viktor explains.

"Then I'd leave Dedushka."

Dedushka takes his hands and squeezes them tight. "Yuratchka, you can always come home to visit. Right, Viktor?"

Viktor smiles. "Yes, yes! The figure skating season starts about a week or two into your school holidays. Yakov will be busy coaching the rest of us, so you and the other novices may return home!"

At first, Yuri wants to argue that when he does start competing, he will not have the holidays to return home to Dedushka. Then he realizes that if he returns to Moscow while the season is ongoing, Viktor would not be able to follow him home, at least for the first few years.

"Of course, you can stay with me while you train in St. Petersburg!"

...some sacrifices had to be made, though. 


End file.
